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CompTIA® A+ Certification Prep 2: Software > Lesson 12 - Chapter 4: Printer-Specific Troubleshooting > Flashcards

Lesson 12 - Chapter 4: Printer-Specific Troubleshooting Flashcards

1
Q

On an impact printer, what is the platen?

A

the roller or plate on which the pins impact (and on a typewriter, the roller in which the paper is held against)

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2
Q

How do you keep the platen and printhead on an impact printer clean?

A

90% denatured alcohol

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3
Q

On an impact printer, what do you have to lubricate?

A

the gears and pulleys (according to manufacturer’s specifications)

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4
Q

What should you NEVER lubricate on an impact printer? Why? (2)

A

the printhead (lubricant will smear and stain the paper)

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5
Q

What has to be replaced on an impact printer every so often?

A

the ink ribbon

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6
Q

How do impact printers get their paper?

A

they use paper that is continuously fed from a roll or ream (large bundle of paper)

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7
Q

How do you replace/change the paper in an impact printer? (2) What if there’s already paper? (1)

A
  1. Swap out the rolls/move the ream into position
  2. Feed the new paper
  3. If already paper, finish feeding it out first
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8
Q

How do you clear paper j ams?

A

Pulling the paper one way or another

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9
Q

Why should you look up a printer’s documentation when changing the paper?

A

In case there’s a manual feeding wheel or roller so you don’t break the feeding system if you start tugging on the paper

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10
Q

What do white bars going through the text point to?

A

dirty/damaged printhead

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11
Q

What do you check if an impact printer is printing characters that look chopped off at the top or bottom?

A

printhead adjustment (refer to manufacturer’s instructions)

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12
Q

Why would an impact printer have faint printing? (2 options)

A
  1. ribbon needs to be replaced
  2. if ribbon is good, adjust printhead closer to platen
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13
Q

What do you do if the image on an impact printer is okay on one side of the paper but fades as you move to the other side?

A

take the printer to a manufacturer’s local warranty/repair center to readjust the platen

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14
Q

Why would a page from an impact printer be covered with dots and small smudges? “Pepper look”

A

the platen is dirty (clean with denatured alcohol)

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15
Q

Which require more maintenance, inkjet or impact printer?

A

impact

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16
Q

What should you NOT do with an inkjet?

A

vacuum

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17
Q

What maintenance tools are available for inkjets?

A

No maintenance kits but most come with maintenance software built into the printer hardware (test page, cleaning inkjets, calibrating color)

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18
Q

How to access a printer’s maintenance utilities? (4 options)

A
  1. Printer Properties (varies by printer)
  2. Printer’s software in Windows
  3. Printer’s optional management software (checks status, perform maintenance)
  4. Go to network-enabled printer’s local LAN address to access built in options
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19
Q

What is calibration? When would you be prompted to do this? (2)

A
  1. performs a routine to align the printheads properly
  2. when first setting up an inkjet printer (but can do it any time)
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20
Q

What is it called when you align the printheads properly?

A

calibration

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21
Q

Generally, should you perform ink cartridge replacement while the printer’s on or off?

A

on, so the inkjet printer can sense the open compartment and move the ink carts to a better position (if it doesn’t, consult documentation)

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22
Q

How would you know if the ink in an inkjet has dried up and clogged the nozzle? What does it look like? (2)

A

horizontally striped printouts, missing colors/print area

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23
Q

How do you clean a clogged ink nozzle?

A

inkjets have an automatic inkjet cleaning feature that forces ink through the inkjets to push out clogs (wastes some ink though)

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24
Q

How do you initiate the cleaning process on an inkjet? (3 options)

A
  1. Pressing buttons on the printer
  2. Printer’s software
  3. Printer Properties
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25
Q

What liquid works best to clean inkjet ink? why?

A

water, since inkjet inks are water-based (works better than denatured alcohol to clean nozzles)

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26
Q

What are 2 things that can cause sheets of paper to stick together?

A
  1. Humidity
  2. Overheated printer (from printing too much)
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27
Q

What should you ALWAYS do when you service a laser printer?

A

Turn it off and unplug it. ALWAYS. High voltages!

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28
Q

When should you be doing a thorough clean of a laser printer?

A

when you replace the toner cartridge

29
Q

What are 2 ways a laser printer gets dirty?

A
  1. Excess toner (over time, coats entire printer)
  2. Paper dust (where paper is bent around rollers, around pickup rollers) — easy to see
30
Q

On what kind of printer do you use compressed air on?

A

laser printer (use it outside!)

31
Q

How do you clean a printer indoors? (Laser)

A

low-static vacuum

32
Q

How do you clean the rubber guide rollers when they start to slip from being dirty and fail to grab paper?

A

90% or higher denatured alcohol (small amount, on a fibrous cleaning towel)

alcohol removes dead rubber and debris

33
Q

On a laser printer, how do you give the guide rollers and separator pads a little texture to increase their paper grip?

A

rub with denatured alcohol on a non-metallic scouring pad

34
Q

What’s a warning when cleaning the photosensitive drum?

A

If you scratch it, the scratch will appear on every printed page from that point on

35
Q

What would a laser printer maintenance kit contain?

A

Parts you should replace regularly like fuser, rollers or pads

36
Q

Always reset the ___ ___ after installing a maintenance kit!

A

reset the page counter so that the printer can remind you to perform maintenance again after a certain amount of printed pages

37
Q

How often should ozone filters be replaced?

A

Once every 3-4 years, or 50,000 pages on average

38
Q

Do ozone filters wear out?

A

No, they just get clogged with dust

39
Q

How do you replace/perform maintenance on an ozone filter? (2 options)

A
  1. Vacuum the dust out of the filter (depends on the model)
  2. Replace the filter
40
Q

What’s a warning about working around laser printers?

A

Might not want to spend all day, every day in a small unventilated room with dozens of laser printers (don’t have to worry if sitting next to one)

41
Q

What’s a warning about checking the heat roller for pits and scratches?

A

let it cool down before cleaning!

42
Q

What is the thermal fuse used for? For what printer?

A

keeps the fuser from overheating on a laser printer

43
Q

What is one of the most important tests you can do on any printer when troubleshooting?

A

diagnostic print page or an engine test page

44
Q

How do you print a diagnostic print page? (2 options)

A
  1. Holding down the On Line button as you power on the printer
  2. Printer’s maintenance software
45
Q

What do you check if the print quality is poor on a diagnostic print page?

A

Check the calibration

46
Q

What do you check if a laser printer is spitting out blank pages? (3 things)

A
  1. Check if it ran out of toner
  2. If it does have toner, print a diagnostic print page
  3. If the print page is blank, check the imaging drum to see if the image is on the drum
47
Q

How do you know when the fusing mechanism in a LP is dirty?

A

it will leave a light dusting of toner al over the paper (esp on the back of the page)

48
Q

Why would a LP’s printout look smudged?

A

the fuser isn’t properly fusing the toner to the paper

(might need to replace fuser or use lighter-weight paper)

49
Q

What causes ghost images on a LP?

A
  1. imaging drum has not fully discharged and is picking up toner from the previous image
  2. previous image used too much charged toner so there’s not enough (developer starvation)
  3. Worn-out cleaning blade isn’t removing the toner from the drum
50
Q

What’s the most common source of light ghosting (minor ghosting)?

A

developer starvation

51
Q

What’s developer starvation?

A

when a LP uses so much toner to print a really dark or complex image that the toner cartridge won’t have enough charged toner for the next image

52
Q

What is dark ghosting? how is it different from light ghosting?

A

major ghosting (caused by a physical defect unlike light ghosting which is a printing process issue)

53
Q

What can dark ghosting sometimes be caused by?

A

a damaged drum (replace the drum)

(LP)

54
Q

Why do vertical white lines appear on a LP print?

A

toner is clogged or clumped, prevents dispersion of toner

(shake the toner cartridge side to side to dislodge or replace toner cartridge)

55
Q

What causes blotchy prints on a LP?

A

uneven dispersion of toner (esp if toner is low)

56
Q

What do you check if there are blotchy prints on a LP? (4 things)

A
  1. shake toner cart from side to side in case uneven dispersion of toner
  2. Is printer sitting level?
  3. Is the paper wet in spots?
  4. Blotches in a regular pattern, check fusing rollers and drum for foreign objects
57
Q

What could cause spotty prints? LP (2 options)

A
  1. spots in a pattern, may be a damaged drum
  2. toner is stuck to the fuse rollers

(wipe off fuser rollers, check drum for damage)

58
Q

What is an embossed effect?

A

like when you put a penny under a paper and rub it with lead pencil to make a “copy”

59
Q

Why would there be an embossed effect on an LP?

A

almost certainly a foreign object on a roller

60
Q

How do you troubleshoot an embossed effect on a LP?

A
  1. 90% denatured alcohol or regular water on a soft cloth on a roller
  2. If on the drum, need a new toner cart
  3. Contrast control too high? (knob is usually inside the unit)
61
Q

How do you fix incomplete characters when printing on transparent media on a LP?

A

increase print density

(ONLY USE SHEETS APPROVED FOR LASER PRINTERS NOT INKJETS it will melt)

62
Q

Laser printers have up to ___ rollers

A

4

63
Q

what are 2 things you can try if you notice a lot of creased pages?

A
  1. Try a different paper type
  2. Try sending the output to the face-up tray to bypass one roller
64
Q

What should you do first when you get a paper jam?

A

Refer to the manufacturer’s jam removal procedure to avoid pulling the paper and damaging the printer

65
Q

What if there’s a paper jam error but there’s no paper inside?

A

there’s a problem with the jam sensor or paper feed sensor (take it to repair center)

66
Q

How do you troubleshoot the printer grabbing multiple sheets?

A
  1. Open a new ream of paper, if that’s fine then it was humidity
  2. New paper doesn’t work, check separation pad if it’s shiny and worn
67
Q

What does a separation pad look like? what does it do?

A

it’s a small piece of cork or rubber that separates the sheets that are pulled from the paper feed tray

LP

68
Q

Most laser printers have a __ ___ function

A

self-test (to check the hardware)

69
Q

What does the self-test on a laser printer show?

A

whether the laser printer can properly develop an image without actually have to send print commands from the computer

CompTIA® A+ Certification Prep 2: Software (45 decks)

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